The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-01-05
NEW INDIANA STATE-HOUSE.
An Imposing Structure That Becomes
the Riches of the Commonwealth.
The Durable and Beautiful in Architecture
Expressed in the Highest Form-0pen-
ing of the Great Building.

The new Indiana State -houSe Will be opened
tomorrow at O'clock and the present Legisla-
ture will take possession. It has been said that
if you wish to make a man tall you must walk
him under high ceiling and certainly, if
noble and spacious building has aught to do with
the character of the thought and the work of
its occupants the people of Indiana have much
to expect Of the present Legislature.
The general style of architecture Of the build
ing is classic, combining in some of its elements
the best forms of Greek and Roman architect
ure which have stood the test of ages; but upon
these are engrafted such elements of the new
Greek and Victoria styles are demanded by
the progress of the age and the taste of the
American people. The building is in the form
of a Greek cross, 500 feet long from north to
south. and $50 feet through the central transept.
and 200 feet at the northern and southern ends
1t rises so feet above the walks at the Wash
ineton street portico, and 100 feet at the Ten
nessee street entrance, with height at the
top of the flagstaff of nearly 250 feet
The original plan was adopted as the best Of
twenty-five submitted and capable of being built
within the two millions appropriated. The
plan was not perfect, and was afterwards modi-
fed by Architect May, on the advice of the Com
mssloIers. 1t finally took the form Of the pres
ent building. To the limit of the appropriation
must be attributed it's lack Of towering height,
but in other respect is there an apparent want
defect. The structure is fre-proof from top to
bottom. requiring no insurance, as the statute
provided. Any room may be filled with cord
wood and burned without damage only to the
finishing of the particular room. In every re-
spect, such as stone, brick, mortar, cement and
metal fastenings, the element of strength has
been carefully regarded, and the building is as
solid and perfect as If cut from the solid rock.
In excavating for the basement there was
found excellent bed of fine gravel forty feet
thick, uniform in composition and Offering what
is known to builders as the most perfect base for
heavy structures Although unnecessary, bed
of concrete, two feet thick, was laid under the
walls and DOME This was partly in Difference
to the opinions Of the best architects and also
because it was cheaper than stone The concrete
and pudding stone were exactly adjusted in
width and strength to the weight of the walls to
be supported. Each square inch of the walls
and dome was weighed by the mind Of the archi-
tect The footng stone and lower story were
laid in best Indiana cement of fuly-tested and
known strength. and next to the ground pro-
tected by sufficient coat of hydraulic mortar to
prevent the access Of moisture to the walls.
All the interior walls are of brick. laid i'll &C.
ment The exterior walls self-supporting,
| of best Indiana colitic limestone from Vorhis q
| Co. and djacent quarries. This stone is nearly
pure carbonate of limo t95 to SO per cent j, and
occurs in unlimited quantities in Owen Monroe,
| Lawrence, Washington Harrison and Crawford
counties. 1t was cut by steam channelers in
monster monoliths, which would shame the
wondrous blocks cut by Asian and Egg ptian
| skill Great prisms ten feet square and fifty or
| more feet long might be seen daily in these
quarries. These prisms were skillfully split and
sawed at the quarries into such pieces as could
be handled by derrick and car. This stone is the
best in the world, and in this climate it easily
triumphs over marble and granite 1t is homo
geneous; it endures equally we'll in horizontal
vertical or diagonal position; it is not subject to
| atmospheric change or storm, except as it
brightens with age, and has the remarkable ele-
ment of elasticity, which adapts it to the quick
| changes incident to our climate. SO destructive
to all other building stone. In our climate Cleo
patras Needle of granite decays, and here the
pyramids of Egypt would long since have turned
to dust. But this stone bears craven
stria plain as the hair,lines of a
| skilled mechanic-the marks of the
great ice age. It was confidently believed
at the inception of the building that on the use
would realize more than 50, 900, 900 by showing
| to the States its excellence. Results prove that
this belief was we'll founded. Train-oads OF
Indiana oolte now go to every point of the com
costly and highly ornamented public and private
edificts in Chicago, St Louis. New Orleans
Louisville Cincinnati, Baltimore Philadelphia
and New FORK, and has proven, in the new Cot
ton Exchange In New Orleans, the mammoth in
surance building of New York, and in the pala
tial residence of Vanderbilt, a material worthy
of the artists genius and the sculptors highes
skill The plan of the new Statehouse provided
for abundant warmth and ventilation. so that u
degrees of temperature may be had with tn,
mercury below zero If it is necessary, the en-
tire air may be changed and warmed in thirty
minutes
All State offices are on the first floor. ant
easily accessible to the public. The SECOND
story is devoted to legislative business. the Su
preme Court and the State Library. The legis
lative halls are in the central part of the build
ing. separated only by the width of the mail
hall; all the turmoil and confusion of the legs
lative body, it's Hobbies and attendants, is con
fined to the center of the building, while tn
Supreme Court and Library, which requir
quiet, are at the extreme ends of the building
The third floor is given up to tn
legislative committee rooms, varying in size
The iron beams used in the floor construction
were made in Pittsbure; all the other iron work
including the great roof and dome, were mad
by Haugh, Ketcham & Co, of this city, and ha
| no superior in the world The great trusses ar
in perfect tune. and accord nicely as tn
strings of violin. The roof is oak -sheathed an
slate covered; the wood is covered under an
above with asbestos, and is absolutely fire proof
All the pavilions and domes are covered wit
copper and lead.
The corridors are striking feature. and com
pare favorably with those of any public bnldin
in the world. rhe main corridor is nearly fiv
hundred feet long with giant lines of Vernon
clouded marble of the Doric order. From thi
floor can be seen above the second corridor wit
smaller series of Ionic columns. ant
still above, corresponding to tn
the third floor the marble support
are headed with Corinthan capitals all sugges
i've of the marble halls of song and story. Thi
interior is a true marble hall, with grand stair
> cases on either side, of which Indiana may we
\ ha nd harc Idran m ohoy
The expert commissioner sent to this countr
by the Emperor of Austria asked why the grea
width of this central corridor. With true Var
2 kee spirit he was asked if he had ever seen i
i Europe palace, church or temple that was no
;, full of dark and filthy rooms and recesses. Fl
: replied that he had not The answer was the
given, This extra width is to allow the sunshin
t and the light of heaven to illuminate the intero